EDITORIAL: Vote ‘yes’ on Measure Z

Looking ahead to the November general election, we believe there is an item that should be a slam-dunk “yes” for voters: Measure Z renewal for the Fresno Chaffee Zoo.

The tenth-of-a-cent sales tax has fulfilled promises its backers made to Fresno County voters when they passed the first Measure Z with 73% support in 2004.

And let’s not forget that approval of Measure Z — which adds just one penny for every $10 spent on taxable goods — paid dividends even before the taxes started rolling in.

Fresno then was in danger of losing its zoo accreditation because of a backlog of maintenance items and much of the facility not meeting modern standards. Without accreditation, the Chaffee Zoo would have lost its its large animals, meaning that the facility would have become little more than a petting zoo for small animals.